Linked below is the first of a series of Black Pearl Marketing Minute podcasts that Brian Brady and I will be putting together. We want to take marketing ideas that we have discussed on BloodhoundBlog and flesh them out to real-life strategies while connecting them to other synergistic tactics.
In this inaugural episode, we start by talking about my post on using the business card form factor for doing low-cost broadcast door-to-door promotion. We talk about some ways that we deploy custom-made business card-sized promotional pieces, how we make and print them, and our distribution plan.
Brian then connects that idea to a marketing plan that emerged from our comments threads, partnering with local merchants as an online/offline farming technique.
Earlier today, someone known only as Jacksonville Real Estate posted a comment on my post about using low-tech promotional schemes to bring traffic to a single-property web site:
It’s an old idea and it’s not mine … but if you are targeting just a certain areas then getting your flyer on the local pizza delivery box can work wonders.
Brilliant! Never thought of it, but that’s why I love this place: We bring bright minds together and set off a blinding brilliance. My reply:
Oh, very cool. I tend to think in terms of things we can do on our own, but this is actually an interesting cross-promotion:
“Visit our custom web site for 123 Mulberry Lane and your next pizza is on us!”
Build a PDF coupon in the site and redeem them with the pizza joint once a week. Meanwhile, your contact info is on the fridge for weeks or months.
That’s a Brian Brady-style idea. I must be channeling…
It’s a Guerrilla Marketing kind of idea, actually, a Duct Tape Marketing kind of idea — maximum bang for minimum bucks. It’s most completely a BloodhoundBlog kind of idea, in the sense that it combines (and recombines) physical with online marketing.
But nothing’s perfect in the first draft. My correspondent thought springing for the whole pizza might be too expensive as a “pay per click.”
Okayfine. How about this?
Buy the soda instead, then. It’s an upsell for the pizzeria — bigger mark-up, and therefore often deferred. Your cost is down to maybe three bucks — only on redemption — for the most valuable real estate in the house, the front of the fridge. That’s a smokin’ deal, and you can turn it into a locals versus The Big Chains thing, too: We support Luigi’s because Luigi’s supports Littleton Heights. There’s a lot you can do with this.
Make them fill out the coupon prior to redemption, then take them all back from Luigi — and share your database with Luigi; he’ll love you for it. Then send two more coupons to everyone who uses one. Better yet, hand deliver them. Sales is getting belly-to-belly. Everything else is either prospecting or marketing.
Sales is getting belly-to-belly. That’s not news. The news is that I invented and perfected a hyper-local online/offline marketing strategy today — in my spare time.
The local merchant doesn’t have to be a pizzeria, and the flyer on the box could easily be a custom-made business card. In both cases, the offline strategy is devised to promote online marketing, and that online marketing can in turn be focused to foster future belly-to-belly contact. The compelling thing about these ideas is that they are so cheap to implement, you can test one tactic against another to discover what works best for you — Direct Marketing meets Guerrilla Marketing.
In the spirit of under-promising and over-delivering, the first Black Pearl Marketing Minute runs just shy of 17 minutes. Be sure to let us know how we did.
Technorati Tags: blogging, BloodhoundBlog Unchained, real estate, real estate marketing, real estate training, technology
Todd Carpenter says:
Thanks for the tip on overnightprints.com. That’s incredibly cheap. I can’t even print them myself for that.
The pizza fliers are a tried and true idea. I know because I used to order a lot of pizza. Interestingly enough though, The fliers I always used to see were targeted to potential first time home-buyers. I guess a high number of pizza deliveries must go to apartments.
March 27, 2008 — 9:06 am
Greg Swann says:
Another online printer we use is PSPrints.com. I don’t like them for business cards, but they print a lot of other form factors, including custom die-cut stuff. We haven’t done this yet, but we’d like to build a door hanger with diagonal die cuts to hold our refrigerator magnet.
We could use the door hanger to sell the idea of getting that magnet on the fridge.
> The fliers I always used to see were targeted to potential first time home-buyers. I guess a high number of pizza deliveries must go to apartments.
In college towns, and immense number of pizzas get delivered to dorms and frat houses. A perfect opportunity to sell the idea of mom and dad co-signing for a condo or four-bedroom house: “You’ll be a landlord, accruing current and future tax advantages — and you’ll be on your own at last!” Kids are the world’s best closers. You could get them close on your product. 😉
March 27, 2008 — 9:29 am
Brian Miller says:
Just read your post hear and listened to the podcast. you guys are pretty amazing… keep it up.
March 27, 2008 — 9:46 am
Bawldguy Talking says:
I’m thinking we need a visual for the whole belly to belly thing. I’m nominating Russell Shaw the artist. Can’t wait to see what he might come up with. 🙂
Seriously, regardless of the M.O., getting in front of someone who can tell you to go to hell is the gold standard. Nobody asked how you skinned the cat until they find out IF you skinned it in the first place.
Results is what we’re all about here, and Unchained.
March 27, 2008 — 10:06 am
Jay Elliott says:
Love the idea of the offline pizza offer!
My wife and have have animals and I find the hounddog concept to be a unique advantage. Now thinking of changing our logo and marketing position.
Thanks
March 27, 2008 — 1:44 pm
Beth says:
That was so great! I loved the podcast. I always do door to door invites for open house events, etc. and get pretty good results, although the “old-timers” scoff at me for doing that. Whatever. I’ve had MORE people show up and say, “A guy I work with who lives in this neighborhood got this flyer…” I never thought of using business cards instead of flyers though.
For a marketing idea: I’ve been discussing ways to co-market with the girl who does my facials. We’re thinking she’ll offer a free mini-facial coupon to anyone who shows up at an open house or visits the website (or something along those lines) but they have to hand over their contact info. Then we share the list.
March 27, 2008 — 2:54 pm
Carl Minicucci says:
Why not include a Ron Popeil gadget as well…
I would think twice about being associated with tpe of marketing. It may be construed as gimmick, whether it’s fact or perception. If you work as hard as you do in distinguishing yourself as a Professional who brings a value-added proposition to clients, why smear that effort with “free can of Coke” campaigns.
Furthermore, I don’t think I’d be too quick in smacking a picture of a dog atop a pizza box if my name was Luigi. It could also be perceived in the wrong way.
But as Greg suggests, in this example, the merchant doesn’t have to be a local pizzeria.
March 27, 2008 — 3:08 pm
Diane Cipa says:
Love it. BTW – We’re belly to belly with our new hyper-localized blog. It’s loads of fun. We now have community contributors and have FREE learn to blog sessions set to go in our local library. The flyers and word of mouth and the community embracing the entire concept has put our title agency in a unique position. The entire project is exceeding my expectations. It’s farm style marketing. We’re laying in seed. I love that it’s such a great community project. It’s a win-win-win all over.
Thanks for spinning the marketing brain wheels.
March 27, 2008 — 5:18 pm
Brian Brady says:
“But as Greg suggests, in this example, the merchant doesn’t have to be a local pizzeria.”
Correct! Greg could tailor his promotion to a dog grooming business or a local veterinarian. Play to your strengths.
“If you work as hard as you do in distinguishing yourself as a Professional who brings a value-added proposition to clients, why smear that effort with “free can of Coke” campaigns.”
Unless you strike the right chord. Dog owners are a clannish bunch.
March 27, 2008 — 11:27 pm
Greg Swann says:
In fact, we have a relationship with a doggy day-care center. We cross-promote with them, and they help Cathy with the rescue animals she’s always finding out in the neighborhoods.
March 28, 2008 — 12:09 am
Brian Brady says:
They’re a passionate clan:
http://www.smellydogaz.com/comments/index.html
March 28, 2008 — 12:36 am
John Kalinowski says:
Greg- One thing I haven’t seen yet is any discussion of the logistics of how you deliver these small cards to homes as you’re walking around. If no one’s home, where do you put it? In areas where the weather gets nasty (like Cleveland, where I live) I can see them getting lost in the snow if they’re left sticking in the door frame. Thanks!
March 28, 2008 — 4:38 am
Greg Swann says:
> They’re a passionate clan
Indeed. We should have built them a weblog by now. They’re exactly the kind of community builders we want to be affiliated with.
March 28, 2008 — 8:17 am
Greg Swann says:
> If no one’s home, where do you put it? In areas where the weather gets nasty (like Cleveland, where I live) I can see them getting lost in the snow if they’re left sticking in the door frame.
We attach them to the door frame or the outside of the mailbox with a small piece of tape. I don’t love this solution, but bigger pieces like door hangers are a nightmare if there is any wind at all.
We operate under a strict interpretation of NAR COE 16.2, so we don’t permit the kids doing this work to exercise any judgment. Except where prohibited by law, they are to broadcast the cards like a radio signal, no discretion. My argument — and I had to make it to an AAR arbitrator — is that discretion is targeting in itself. We made a policy sheet on this, a copy of which is shared with everyone who works with us.
March 28, 2008 — 8:28 am